The mine-clearing women of Angola – in pictures
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Photographer Antonio Olmos visited the village of Cabio in Benguela Province to document the work of the women of the Halo Trust who are clearing the anti-personnel mines left over from the Angolan civil war.
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Zeferina Victori clears a minefield by hand, inch by inch.
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24-year-old Esperanza Ngando applied for a job with the Halo Trust when she was told the work would save people’s lives.
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A landmine found by the all-female team.
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Loriana Tchulo Tavares Sacanombo prepares her equipment for mine clearing.
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Despite extensive training, the team go through a drill every morning to remind them of the dangers they face.
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Luciana Baroso lost her sight in 1994 after being blinded by an explosion while collecting potatoes in a field.
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The team head back into the minefield after the explosive they found was detonated.
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Maria Niva, 19: “When I heard they weren’t just recruiting men, I felt it was my duty to show that women could do this too.”
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A landmine found by the women is detonated by Halo Trust engineers.
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Loriana Tchulo Tavares Sacanombo in the minefield. The red-painted stone in the foreground marks the border between cleared and un-cleared.
Photograph: Antonio Olmos/The Observer
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The women take a break from their mine-clearing work, dancing to music on the radio.
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28-year-old Suzana Soares started as a cook, moved into de-mining and is now a section commander responsible for the safety of her team.
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Joana Cassinda Moco Carlos at work in the minefield.
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Manuel Rodriguez, 10, lost one of his legs and almost his life when one of his cousins accidentally picked up some live ordnance.
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The women wave at a passing train. The village was close to the railway which was why it was strategically important during the civil war and why Cabio was mined.
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The work of the women of the Halo Trust has helped secure the safety of the children of the village, including these attending school lessons.
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The work continues…
